The Way That It Is
by TheAUWalker
Summary: One week from Giriko's unexpected surgery, and one month from the terrible accident. They meet and fill a lonely place, somewhere in nowhere, with fire, ice, and darkness. Giriko didn't know what was going on, but he knew that he could've replaced the necklace by himself easily. SteinxGiriko, one-shot.


**A/N: This is a gift fic for Lialane Graest :D It's a short little thing, but I hope you guys like it!**

**I don't own Soul Eater.**

**Please review!**

**-o-o-o**

Years.

It'd been years, yet the chainsaw still narrowed his eyes.

"Y-you!" He growled, speech slurred and his step unsteady as he lumbered over.

"Yes?" Stein asked calmly, casually tracing the rim of his glass.

"Bastard! I still have the scars!"

"It's not my problem that your scars haven't gone, Giriko."

"Y-you made them!"

Giriko's fist slammed into the bar, causing Stein's glass to rattle slightly.

"What do you want?" Stein asked boredly.

Giriko suddenly looked much less explosive, even going as far to meekly rub the back of his head.

"I was wondering if you would still have my test results and stuff."

"And why would you need those?" Stein's eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch.

"I want them." Giriko spat. "Something 'bout making me more dangerous."

"You're quite-"

"Doesn't matter. Apparently I'm docile enough to be caught by freaks like you."

"Insulting me is hardly the way to get what you want, Giriko. And you're drunk."

They were sitting inside a small bar, somewhere in nowhere.

It was dimly lit and there were not many people in it, but that was part of the appeal. You could talk and no one would care if you were a serial killer or an average office worker.

"Just give me the damn papers!"

Giriko was getting all riled up again, and Stein hid a grin. There was something about firing the chainsaw up that made him immensely pleased.

"The papers, damn it!"

"Calm down. I-"

"You'd think after what happened to Mjolnir that you'd listen to people."

Stein's drink slammed down on the bar.

Giriko tensed, waiting for Stein turn around and knock him to the far end of the bar. The words had slipped out, but that didn't matter.

"Fine."

Giriko almost didn't catch it.

"What?"

"I said fine."

He couldn't believe his ears.

"Meet me here by this time tomorrow and I'll have them."

Stein stood up and strode to the door.

Giriko ran forward and caught the other man's wrist.

"Stein, I'm sorry."

He was apologizing. Why was he apologizing? When did he apologize?

The scientist did not meet his eyes, the sadness from the month-old incident still evident in his eyes.

There had been an experiment to fix Marie Mjolnir's eye. In theory, the experiment would allow her to be able to get rid of her eyepatch. Wearing it normally kept her from getting the blinding headaches that unleashing her powerful Healing Wavelength caused.

He had planned to fix it, but everything had gone terribly, terribly, wrong.

At the start, it had been fine. But then horrible madness urges were washing over him, and she was telling him to stop, he was cutting too far and too deep, and then he said no, I can do this, just let me, and then she was screaming and the scalpel had gone right off her face.

Her eye was permanently damaged.

Stein opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

The scientist jerked his wrist out of Giriko's grasp and pulled open the door, sending a rush of cold air into the bar.

"I..." Stein swallowed dryly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And then he was gone.

Giriko ran outside, a few last choice words in his mouth, but the only thing left was a small silver necklace in the snow.

The chainsaw had been wearing it and lost it when Stein got to him.

Giriko honestly didn't know why he didn't have a dislocated jaw or why Stein was even giving him the file.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Stein hadn't teased him about how long he'd stayed last week when he woke up from his unanticipated surgery.

Maybe there was something between them, maybe not, but it was pretty clear that an inexpensive silver necklace didn't have to be returned.


End file.
